Hornets at Rockets
THE STORY: Houston looks for its fifth straight win when it hosts lowly New Orleans on Thursday. The Rockets have won five of six to reach .500 after starting the season 2-6. "We are back to .500, which is where we wanted to be after a bit of a slow start," forward Luis Scola said. "I think the best thing is that we are playing better. This is the way we have to keep going." New Orleans, which has yet to score 100 points in a game this season, has lost five straight and 11 of 12. The latest defeat came in a 93-87 loss to Memphis on Wednesday that dropped the Hornets to 1-7 at home. Guard Jarrett Jack's explanation for what ails his team is simple, but may be difficult to correct. "We’ve got to make better basketball plays," he said. "It has nothing to do with the coaches, anybody else. It’s these 15 guys in the locker room. It’s on our shoulders to make it better."
TV: 8 p.m. ET, CST (New Orleans), Fox Sports Houston (Houston).
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (7-7): Tuesday night's 97-80 win over Detroit improved Houston to 5-1 at home. The game was the Rockets' fourth in five nights and it showed. Houston jumped ahead 24-10, but the margin was cut to four late in the second quarter. The Rockets stretched the lead to double figures in the third quarter and were ahead 92-74 late in the game. The big lead allowed coach Kevin McHale to sit his starters out for the majority of the fourth quarter. The Rockets' biggest problem is they play in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference. Despite the winning streak, Houston still trails San Antonio, Memphis and Dallas.
ABOUT THE HORNETS (3-11): Few people probably remember New Orleans won its first two games of the season over Phoenix and Boston. It's been nothing but a headache since for coach Monty Williams. The Hornets lost six straight before winning at Denver on Jan. 9. New Orleans hasn't won a game since. Shooting guard Eric Gordon, the key player acquired in the Chris Paul trade, has missed eight straight games with a knee injury and isn't expected to return until next week. Forward Trevor Ariza returned Wednesday after missing eight games because of a groin injury. He scored 18 points and had five rebounds in playing all but nine seconds against the Grizzlies.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Houston center Samuel Dalembert recorded a double-double Tuesday with 14 points and 12 rebounds in 34 minutes.
2. Rockets guard Courtney Lee returned Tuesday after missing eight straight games with a strained right calf. He scored six points in 16 minutes.
3. Jack tied his season high in points with 27 against Memphis, hitting 11 of 15 shots.